Draw-gear for cars.



' No. 70|,660. Patented June 3, I902;

C. WRIGHT.

DRAW GEAR FOR'GARS.

(Application filed May 81, 1901) (No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES WRIGHT, OF EVERSON, PENNSYLVANIA.

DRAW-GEAR FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,660, dated June 3, 1902.

Application filed May 31,1901.

Serial N6. 62,648. (No model.)

To all whem, it mayom zcernhi zen of the United States, residing at Everson, in the county of Fayette andS tateof Pennsylvania, have inventednew an'd'useful Improvements in Draw-Gear for Cars, of which the'following is a specification. The object of my invention is, first, the provision of means whereby the coupler or coupler and spring mechanism of a draw-gear can be raised or lowered, so that the center line of the coupler-headwill occupy a certain pre! determined position relative to a plane passing through the topsurfa'ces'of the railsof the track upon which the car moves. v I

The interstate commerce law requires that the height of draw-bars upon cars used inin} terstate commerce shall be substantially uni form. It has been recognized as a difficult problem to meet the requirements of the law, inasmuch as a car after being in service for a time sags or settles down and causes the coupler to occupy a position below the required height. The method commonly followed whenthe coupler occupies too low a po;

sition is to insert blocks or shims between'cen, tain parts of the trucker between the truck and body-bolsteig'thus raising the car-body and the coupler along with it. 7 Ordinarily the shims last but'a short time, when they must be replaced,which operation entails much expense and-labor. factorily solved the problem of easily maintaining the draw-bar at the standard height and by providing means for raising or lower ing the coupler or coupler and spring mechanism relative to the car-body and without resorting to the readjustment of the'car-body relative to the trucks.

The further object of my invention is the improvement of the'spring bnffin'gand 'draw'-' ing mechanismand adapting it for usewith heavily-loaded car's.-'v

With the above-recited ends in viewmy invention consists, objectively, in a draw-gear which can be bodily raised and lowered rela tive to the car-bod y 'prope'rf Further, itconsistsin a draw-gear the couple'r-head of which can .be raised andlowered relative to the car-body and without detach ing thesame from the spring draft and buffing mechanism.

Finally, it consists in certain novelties of Now I think I have satisby the drawings.

. j constructionand'combinationsand arrange- Be 1t known that LCHARLES WRIGHT, aciti;

:men'ts of parts hereinafter set for tli and claimed.

1 The accompanying drawings illustrate an example of the physical embodiment of my improvements constructed according to the best modes I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles.

Figure 1 is a side view inv elevation of the coupler and spring mechanism of a draw-gear,

jshowing oneof the stay-plates, the cast-steel blocks, a side spring, the ends of the followers, and shims or plates. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of Fig.- 1, taken in a plane parallel with the shankof, the coupler and .be-

tween thelongitudinal st rin gers Fig. :3 is a bottom plan View of Fig; 1, also showing the carry-iron broken away and disclosing the notch in the stay-platefor the removal of the shims. Fig. 4. is a section of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a View of one of the shims, which are located beneath the shank of the coupler. Fig. 6 shows therear follower. Fig. 7 is a view of one of the pin-supporting blocks,

R'eferringtothe several figures, the letter A designates the central stringers of the carframe, which may be of wood ormetal.

, Bis theend sill; O, a body-bolster.

D indicates filling' -pieces backbf the bolster, which may be of any length, extending from bolster to bolster when so desired.

E is the coupler of any approved type; F, the yoke-or spring-po cket, which is bent to a round shape at the end.

G indicates stay-plates, each made bybending a steel or iron plate which is about onehalf inchby six inches upon itself, so as to form apocket, the lower portion extending back of the bolster and the upper portion extending at least to the bolster, as'clearly shown 'H is a'carry-iron; I, a strap plate or tie.

.1 .indicates front malleable or cast steel or '-wood "blocks, made in any desirable way, as

' J and J and adjacent the flanges. K and likeeach of the blocks J and J, said flanges in this'case being one inch thick and two inches deep.

L indicates metallic blocks, each being two inches by four inches by six and one-fourth inches and having a two-inch hole, the said blocks being located at the ends of the blocks wise flush with the edges thereof.

M indicates perforated outside removable plates which secure the blocks L within the pockets; N, bolts which pass through the plates M and blocks J and J and secure the said plates M in their removable positions.

0 indicates twelve bolts which pass through the central stringers, the blocks J and J, the stay-plates, and the filling-pieces in the rear of the body-bolster.

P indicates pins which have their ends seated within the holes of the blocks L and lowers which hold the spring or springs in place.

' V indicates shims or plates, shown as located beneath thefollowers, the blocks L, and the outside springs.

NV indicates the shims or plates, which are shown as located beneath the shank of the coupler, the said shims being cut away at the ends and of the general shape illustrated by Fig. 5 of the drawings, and X is a notch in one of the stay-plates, which allows the removal of the shims when one end of the carryiron has been detached.

The method of assembling the several parts is obvious from the drawings and need not be specifically set forth.

The shims or plates Vand W are the means by which the coupler-head or the draw-bar and spring mechanism can be raised and lowered relative to the car-body proper and so that the coupler-head will occupy the re quired position above the rails. In the drawings the plates are all below the coupler and spring mechanism. Any number or all of these plates can be taken out and placed above the draw-bar and followers, thus lowering the draw-bar and spring mechanism. To do this, the plates M are taken off and the carry-iron disconnected at one end and displaced from its normal position over the notch X in the stay-plate. In connection with a draw-gear eleven inches deep the coupler and spring mechanism can be raised or lowered five inches, and with a gear nine tion. Means for raisingand lowering the coupler and spring mechanism is disclosed, which is simple in construction and which can easily and quickly be manipulated, and a spring drawing and buffing mechanism is disclosed, which has ample spring capacity and strength to withstand all strains to which it may be subjected in use upon heavy cars or those which are heavily laden.

While I have illustrated and described only one example of means for raising and lowering the coupler or coupler and, spring mechanism relative to the car-body and one example of the spring drawing and bufling mechanism, I do not thereby intend to limit the scope of my invention to the said specific examples, inasmuch as my improvements can be physically embodied by other modes of applying the principles and by other examples without constituting a substantial departure. Modifications, substitutions, alterations, and manifold changes may be introduced at will, which Willfall within the limits of my invention and the scope of the claims.

, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a car-body and a coupler, of a plurality of removable shims or plates W located above the carry-iron for adj usting the head of the coupler in a vertical plane and relative to the car-body.

2. The combination with a car-body and coupler and a spring mechanism, of a plurality of removable shims W and V for adjusting the coupler and spring mechanism vertically relative to the car-body.

3. The combination with a car-body and a coupler, of a plurality of removable shims or plates for adjusting the head of the coupler in a vertical plane and relative to the car-bod y.

4. The combination with a car-body and a coupler and spring mechanism, of a plurality of removable shims or plates for adjusting the coupler and spring mechanism vertically relative to the car-body.

5. The combination with a car-body and draw-gear, of means for adjusting the drawgear vertically relative to the car-body, said means being located beneath the ends of the followeror followers and supportingthe same.

6. The combination with a car-body and coupler head and shank, of means for adjusting the coupler head and shank vertically relative to the car-body, said means consisting of a plurality of shims or plates located between the carry-iron H and the shank, and some or all of said shims adapted to be removed and placed above the shank so as to confine the shank and prevent the upward and downward movements of the coupler-head in buffing.

7. The combination with a car-body, coupler, spring mechanism, and follower or followers, of means for adjusting the coupler and spring mechanism and a follower or followers vertically relative to the car-body, said means being located under the follower or followers, IO and also under the shank of the coupler adjacent its head. i

8. The combination with a car-body, of a coupler having a yoke; two followers located within the yoke; springs between the followers; and a plurality of shims for adjusting the coupler-yoke, followers, and springs in a vertical plane.

9. The combination in a draw-gear, of a coupler; .central stringers; stay-plates secured to the stringers and forming pockets;

front and rear malleable or cast-steel blocks within the pockets; springs located between the blocks; and two followers engaging the springs at their ends and adapted to be moved by the coupler.

10. The combination in a draw-gear, of a coupler; two stay-plate's; two followers slotted at the ends; four metallic blocks located between the upper and lower parts of the stay plates; two springs supported by pins which engage the followers; and removable plates, M, whereby the springs can be removed without displacing the coupler or followers.

11. The combination with a draw-gear constructed substantially as set forth, of stay- 1 plates, G, each made by bending a piece of metal upon itself and forming pockets for metallic blocks and against which the followers bear in towing and buffing.

12. The combination with a draw-gear, constructed substantially as set forth, of springs, Q,'supported by pins, P, which engage blocks, 'L, said blocks L bearing against the blocks J and J, which latter are located between 5 the stay-plates G, G, as set forth.

13. The combination with adraw-gear, embracing a coupler and followers and constructed substantially as set forth, of two stay-plates, each stay-plate supporting a front and a rear metallic block and each block having a flange, K; blocks, L, located adjacent the flanges K; pins, P; removable plates, M;

followers, S and T; and springs supported by the pins.

14. The combination in a draw-gear of stayplates G; a coupler,and a coupler-yoke curved at the end; two followers slotted at the ends and one of the followers having a curved surface; pins P; springs; blocksJ J; and removable plates M.

15. The combination with a draw-gear and shims for adjusting the coupler, of a stayplate cut away at X to allow the removal of the shims W, and a carry-iron which nor- 6 5 mally retains the shims in position by closing the opening formed by cutting away the stayplate.

16. The combinationwith a draw-gear, of a plurality of shims, V, and'removable plates,

M, whereby the .shims can be removed and replaced.

17. The combination witha'draw-gear, of stringers; stay-plates under the stringers; metallic blocks located directly beneath the stringers and within the stay-plates; followers engaging the blocks; and springs engaging the followers at their ends.

18. The combination with a draw-gear, constructed substantially as set forth, of stayplates, each plate made by bending a metallic plate upon itself to form a pocket; follower-plates; metallic blocks located at the ends of each pocket; and springs located between the follower-plates at the ends of the blocks.

19. The combination with a draw-gear, constructed and operating substantially as set forth, of springs, Q; means for holding the springs in place; followers, S and T; and a plurality of plates or shims, V.

20. The combination in .a draw-gear, of a coupler; a yoke secured to the coupler; followers notched at the ends; pins P which guide the followers; -springs Q upon the pins P; spring R located within the yoke; blocks J J; stay-plates G G embracing the blocks J J; removable plates secured to blocks J J which allow the removal of the springs Q at the sides; and bolts securing the stay-plates to the central stringers.

21. The combination with a draw-gear, constructed substantially as described, of stayplates G G; blocks J J supported by the stayplates and bolts 0; blocks L L located at the ends of blocks J J; pins Psupported by blocks L L; springs Q Q on the pins; two followers engaging the pins; a coupler; a coupler-yoke; and removable plates M M; as set forth.

22. The combination with a draw-gear, of stay-plates located directly under the central stringers; blocks secu red in position beneath the stringers and between the upper andlower IIO portions of the stay-plates; springs located I directly under the stringers and in line therewith; a coupler; followers engaging the springs; and means uniting the coupler-shank I and the followers.

23. The combination in a draw-gear, of the central stringers A A; stay-plates each having an upper horizontal portion parallel with and adjacent a stringer and a lower portion parallel with the upper portion and located in a lower horizontal plane; blocks between the upper and lower portions of the stayplates; and bolts passing through the stringers, the upper and lower portions of the stayplates, and also through the blocks.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES WRIGHT. 

